Fully Supported ATi/AMD GPU for MacPro 1,1

There is so much information out there I am having a hard time getting a consistent message on what works and doesn't work when it comes to 1,1s.

I might pick up a 1,1 and upgrade the CPUs and GPUs and I am looking for the best FULLY supported Radeon GPU. I am seeing a lot of info about AMD 68x0's working but not completely. Is there anything better than the 5770 that is completely supported?

Staff Member

i am trying to get the same info. so far i got that you need to install some ati drivers from the macbook pro 2011 cd. and then you can pop in off the shelf gpus into a mac pro and it should run. people have gotten the 6870 to work.

i am trying to get the same info. so far i got that you need to install some ati drivers from the macbook pro 2011 cd. and then you can pop in off the shelf gpus into a mac pro and it should run. people have gotten the 6870 to work.

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That's what I am getting too but it's not very specific about how much of the card works, like QE/CI, boot screen working, etc etc.

I want a card that works completely, boot screen and all. I am still having a hard time finding definitive instructions on getting a PC 5870 working.

You'll receive best results with a (now hard to find) card that is most similar to the original 4870 reference design. I flashed one of the early Sapphire cards that was pretty similar and I had no compatibility issues at any point thereafter, but several people found OS updates breaking their otherwise perfect functionality.

But your thread title says "fully supported". In this case, Apple itself will not support the 5770 or 5870 in anything less than a 2009 Mac Pro if something goes wrong. So even if you have AppleCare or are still under the 1 year warranty of the card, you are out of luck if the card goes bad.

But your thread title says "fully supported". In this case, Apple itself will not support the 5770 or 5870 in anything less than a 2009 Mac Pro if something goes wrong. So even if you have AppleCare or are still under the 1 year warranty of the card, you are out of luck if the card goes bad.

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I am not too concerned about that part, but thanks for pointing that out.

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